Friday, January 26, 2007

I was taking a look at both rosters, and I noted that 5 former Miami players appear on Chicago's roster: Wale Ogunleye, Brendon Ayanbadejo, Desmond Clark, John St. Clair, and Brian Griese. Of them Ayanbadejo and Ogunleye have made the most impact this season.

The Colts have no former Phins on their team. That is, unless you include Jake Scott, their offensive tackle, who shares a name (and nothing more) with the guy who no longer wants to be associated with football.

....and in the stat I've been watching every year, there are no players from Texas' national championship team last year on either roster. So, still no player has *ever* started on a team that won a national championship and then gone on to start on a superbowl winning team the following year. Lofa Tatupu came awfully close last year, but he didn't garner the disctinction, either. Maybe next year, Chris Leak will be starting for the Phins in the superbowl...

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

I read an article in the Sentinel this morning about how the Dolphins have decided to increase the prices of tickets for club seats, now that the leases are set to expire. They're raising them up as much as 400%, with notes that they may be increased more in the future, during the lease.

I can't blame customers for electing not to renew. When Joe Robbie originally floated the idea to build a stadium with his private funds, he reached out to the average customer and offered them a lease deal on club seats. H Wayne renewed most of those shortly after he acquired the team from the Robbies with little increase in price.

Now here it is 20 years later, and he wants the club seats to be more "exclusive" so he can make more money. I get it, and I find it somewhat perplexing, because the average Joe is being left out to some degree.

One other note: I did read the comments by the president of the stadium organization. He was saying that the $250 million in consturction upgrades are being passed along. Don't forget: the Dolphins are being reimbursed for the construction by the NFL, so this is very misleading.

I'm very pleased and excited to be the head coach of the Miami Dolphins.

I have always admired the rich tradition of this organization.Wayne Huizenga is an outstanding owner who is committed to winning and Dolphins fans are among the best in the NFL.I look forward to working with the rest of the staff in fielding a winning team.

It is with much respect for this game and this franchise that I look forward to building on the Miami Dolphins legacy of success.My love for the game started at an early age growing up in Durham, N.C., watching my father coach, and it grew from there.At the young age of 14, I knew I wanted to be a head coach.In high school, I played both football and basketball in Terre Haute, Ind., and then at Indiana University before a football knee injury ended my playing career.I had the good fortune to coach at Michigan for a decade, serve as quarterback coach for the Washington Redskins in 1994, return to my alma mater, IU, as head coach and join the San Diego Chargers in 2002.

Now I have the privilege to lead this prestigious franchise, one that I have admired for a long time.I know that winning is dependent not only on the players and coaches but the support staff around them, including our fans. I know how loyal our fan base is and what a great home-field advantage you have given the Dolphins for so many years. Through teamwork, hard work and your tremendous support as a season ticket holder, I am confident we will be successful.

My wife, Missy, and four children - Tommy, Danny, Christopher and Elizabeth – are excited to make the move to South Florida, taking part in this vibrant community.I look forward to seeing you soon.

Under the terms of his contract with the Phins, the Dolphins *had* to grant permission for Randy Mueller to talk with the Tennessee Titans about the same job there. H Wayne wants to work out a new contract with Mueller, but hasn't had time to do that since the coaching carousel started.

Its unclear whether Mueller is interested or will even go on the interview, but we certainly hope not!

As the Patriots took the lead in the AFC championship, I was thinking about our old pal Bill Bellichick. People call him a "genius" and I say "p'shaw"...the guy is obviously good at what he does, and he prepares his team well. He's very good at in-game management. And I hear he's well read. Fabulous. But a genius on the field?

C'mon he's done as well as he has because he has a QB that stands out and makes the difference in a few games that an average QB might otherwise lose. Its the combination of the two that makes it work.

Now, I'm not really a fan of his. At least in part, its because his team is in Miami's division. But, there's something that just irks me about the whole organization.

And I receently decided that I actually dislike him now, because he's friends with good ole' Nick. Call it guilt by association, but I can't see how anyone can be friends with the Tuscaloser.

As it has happened for past SuperBowls, the AFC champeen - the Colts - will be using the Dolphins facility when preparing for the big game. The Dolphins noted that they intend "to protect confidential information" while the Colts visit.

Now I understand! Saban knew this was going to happen and was afraid that his buddy (Bellicick) would be the AFC champ and would have free run of the place. And Saban couldn't stand that idea!